Vietnam Ship Repair published a 2026 ranking of the five largest container shipping companies by capacity and fleet size. MSC tops the list with about 7.3 million TEU and about 1,000 ships, followed by Maersk, CMA CGM, COSCO Shipping and Hapag-Lloyd.
The 2007 Alliage 56 DS Promise 4 spent two years at Rivergate Marina & Shipyard in Brisbane during a round-the-world voyage. Owners Graeme and Moira used the stop for a mini refit, storage and inspections before planning to continue toward Europe via the Indian Ocean.
The French Navy said its recruitment needs will rise 20% in 2026 compared with 2025 incorporations, including the new national service due to start in September 2026. It said 600 contracts are open this year for that scheme, while Naval Group said it recruited 4,500 people over the past three years.
About 15 Naval Group employees joined Thales’s cortAIx teams from March to July 2026, and have worked full-time at Ollioules since early July. The work is focused on AI for naval systems, including collaborative combat, mission autonomy for drone swarms, logistics support and tactical situation modules.
Naval Group chief executive Pierre-Éric Pommellet appeared on BFM Business on 26 June, where he discussed export contracts for FDI frigates with Sweden and Greece and submarine deals with Indonesia and the Netherlands. He also referred to French programmes including the SNLE 3G and the new-generation aircraft carrier, and to the market conditions facing naval defence.
CMN’s move from aircraft work to shipbuilding began in 1946, after Félix Amiot abandoned aviation following nationalisation in the sector. The yard launched its first vessel, the 22-metre trawler Annie, at Cherbourg on 23 June 1948 for Les Chalutiers Cherbourgeois.
Squircle Capital has increased its stake in MB92 Group to 100%, after a series of earlier increases from 77.5% in 2019 to 93% in 2022 and 98% in 2025. MB92 said the move comes as it develops a five-year strategic and expansion plan.
Derecktor said it has expanded project management, installed a fully integrated ERP system across its three shipyards in 2025, and will extend new construction into its Florida yards. The yard also launched Derecktor One, a refit program offering one point of accountability and, where appropriate, all-inclusive pricing at its Florida facilities.
Davie Shipbuilding has appointed Mika Heiskanen as CEO for its Finland operations, covering Helsinki Shipyard and the recently acquired SATA Shipbuilding in Pori. Heiskanen will coordinate the two yards in Finland alongside managing directors Kim Salmi and Niko Suomela. Davie said the direct workforce of its Finland companies is expected to rise by at least 650 employees over the next two years.
DESAN Shipyard has become the first Turkish shipyard to receive Green Marine Europe certification. The French environmental programme said the yard qualified after an assessment and scoring process, and DESAN said it is one of four shipyards in Europe to hold the certificate.
Sea Leisure Yachting Group said it now operates across boat design and manufacture, chartering, joint ventures and marina management in Sri Lanka. The group also said its training centre in Kabalana trains around 100 youths a year, and it has opened a second centre in Jaffna.
Penzance Naval Base closed on 15 March 1919 after four years of wartime service. The base, set up in 1915, convoyed 11,000 vessels to and from France and lost 35, according to the account in the source. Patrol boats were said to have saved 582 lives from vessels sunk in convoy.